Ramadaan and it's Blessings...

Months and years pass by and the month of Ramadaan comes to return to us the great meanings which form the features of a Muslim life and the values of our religion which should not be lost from the life of a Muslim. The acts of worship in Islam do not replace one another where they contribute in building the Muslim character as they are the nutrition of the creed, the positive expression of it, and the practical application of it.

Indeed, man is created for loving goodness and moves by its motives, as he is subject to evil. The way of goodness is one but the ways of evil are numerous and on the top of every one of them there is a devil which temps people to walk in. The inclination of man to evil exists, so he needs guarding, vigilance, and gaining more energy to defeat the inclinations of evil inside himself and that shall not happen except through performing general acts of worship and fasting Ramadaan in particular. Ramadaan is the month of the Qur'an: Allah says: "The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed the Qur'ân." [2:185]

Ibn `Abbas (ra) narrated that "The Messenger of Allah (saws) was the most generous of men; and he was the most generous during the month of Ramadaan when Gabriel visited him every night and recited the Qur'an to him. During that period, the generosity of Messenger of Allah (saws) waxed faster than the rain bearing wind." [Sahih Bukhari]

Abu sa`id (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "The Lord, Blessed and High be He, says: "He whom the Qur'an keeps occupied from My Remembrance and from supplicating Me, (must know that) I grant him better than that which I give the supplicants. And the excellence of Allah's words over all other expressions is like the excellence of Allah over His creation." [At-Tirmidhi]

Ramadaan is the month of Qiyam (The optional Night Salaah):
An-Nasa'ie narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Verily, Allah imposed the fasting of Ramadaan upon you and I made it a Sunnah to perform Qiyam therein, so whoever fasts, performs Qiyam out of sincere faith and hoping for Allah's Reward shall get out from his sins as the day in which his mother delivered him."

The Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever performs Salaah at night the whole month of Ramadaan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, all his previous sins will be forgiven." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Why not while fasting leads to piety? Therefore, we see that a fasting person is always pushed by his piety to abandon his bed for Qiyam, reciting the Qur'an, mentioning the name of the Most Gracious; they are all the qualities which Allah counted for us in His Ever-Generous Book.

Luqman, the wise, reported to have said: "O my son, if the stomach is filled (by food), ideas will die, wisdom will stop, and organs neglect in worship."

Ramadaan is the month of asking for forgiveness:
Allah says: "And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allâh) for forgiveness." [51:18]

A person who observes fasting should wake up at night to have the pre-dawn meal so as to be able to continue fasting, and during that, he should mention Allah, pronounce Takbir, and ask for pardon during the time of Suhur (pre-dawn meal).

Ramadaan is the month of thanking and praising Allah:
During Ramadaan, a person fills his time day and night with glorifying Allah and mentioning His Name: At breaking the fast, a fasting person mentions, praises, and glorifies his Lord. Likewise, at Suhur, at the beginning of the day, and after every obligatory or voluntary Salaah, and in every moment because he mentions his Lord and He watches over His Servants, so a person should keep away from things that incite His Anger.

Ramadaan is the month of Tarawih:
Performing Tarawih (Special voluntary night Salaah during Ramadaan) is an emphasized Sunnah so that the fasting person would feel after breaking the fast that he is still connected with Allah and until the fasting person feels that comfort. The fasting person performs Tarawih after `Isha' (Night) Salaah: Two Rak`ahs by two Rak`ahs until a person finishes Salaah then is followed by Witr.

Tarawih is part of the voluntary night Salaah and it is desirable to be performed in congregation in the masjid in order to be able to recite or listen to the entire volume of the Qur'an during the nights of Ramadaan.

Ramadaan is the month of I`tikaf:
The meaning of I`tikaf is staying in the masjid or for women to also stay in a room with the purpose of mentioning Allah, performing Salaah, glorfying Allah, exerting efforts for worship, supplication, reciting the Qur'an, and seeking forgiveness without engaging in worldly affairs, specially women. Allah says: "And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I`tikâf(i.e., confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques." [2:187]

`A'ishah (ra) said: "With the start of the last ten days of Ramadaan, the Prophet (saws) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e., work hard) and used to perform Salaah all night long, and used to keep his family awake for Salaah." [Bukhari and Muslim]

I`tikaf is just a preparation for body and soul so that a believer would turn to his lord satisfying and to feel comfortable in his acts of worship so that they will be sincerely for Allah and to declare full submission to the Lord of the worlds.

Ramadaan contains Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Decree):
Allah says: "The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months)." [97:3]

Allah says: "We sent it (this Qur'ân) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the night of Al-Qadr, Sûrah No. 97) in the month of Ramadân - the 9th month of the Islâmic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]." [44:3]

It is a night during which the venerable angels come down and gather around the reciter of the Qur'an, so it is full of peace and security. Laylatul-Qadr takes place in the last ten days of Ramadaan as the Prophet (saws) told us, when he said: "Investigate Laylat-ul-Qadr (the Night of Decree) during the last ten days of Ramadaan." [Sahih Bukhari]

Ramadaan is the month of invocation:
Invocation is an act of worship as Allah says: "And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)." [40:60].

Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Three people will not be rejected their invocations: a fasting person at the time he breaks his fast, the just ruler, and the invocation of the oppressed people." [At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Imam Ahmad]

There are many blessings from the Most Gracious: There are some blessings which Allah granted us in this worldly life to strengthen and cure our bodies from diseases. By fasting, all bodily organs feel comfort especially the stomach, moreover fasting helps directing these acts of worship and those feelings toward sincerity; when bodies are safe and healthy, souls are purified.

At the end of every year, it comes the day of the prize when comes the time of `Eidul-Fitr, where we say: La Ilaha Illa Allah, pronounce Takbir, praise Allah not because Ramadaan has gone, but because Allah guided us to fast it and fulfill that obligatory duty. Allah says: "(He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr (Allâhu Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great)] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him." [2:185]

The other blessing is the blessing of the Hereafter and it is enough that Allah undertook to reward His Servants because fasting is a secret between Allah and His Servants which no other man can appreciate or even figure it out because it is an obligatory duty that is not done bu bodily organs, so people cannot judge it.

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Allah says: Every good deed of Adam's son is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it." [Sahih Bukhari]

We ask Allah to accept from Muslims their Fasting and their Qiyaam, and to combine between their hearts in this blessed month - Ameen Ya Rabb !!!

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